Frog Day and Other Real (AKA Authentic) Stuff

Yesterday was Frog Day for our 6th graders - I know, YUMMY!  Check out this authentic learning activity for students where they get their hands dirty (literally!) to learn about the body systems.  Kid were so excited (ok, some were nauseous) to investigate these real organs and determine how they interact within the body.

What's great about this activity is that students collaborated in their lab groups, and, teachers collaborated too!  Throughout the day, you could find various grade-level science teachers in the lab providing demonstrations for students. 

Mr. O'Daniel uses the Elmo to demonstrate his dissection for the class.

Did you know that it is National Code Week?  Mr. Vallis did!  Today, he's teaching students how to code. Using Khan Academy, students are writing computer code to draw shapes.  It's mathematical; students are reviewing coordinates, and other mathematically impressive words such as ellipse, arc, etc...  The reinforcement of math is incredible, "You're using variable to substitute value on the x and y axis..."

This is definitely some YUMMY learning!